WA Caucus Report
My parents called me today to report that they had caucused for Obama today in Seattle. It was interesting to here how the caucus works since I’ve only ever voted in primaries in Illinois and Utah.
Voting in the primary was easy. I went into City Hall on the day of my own choosing in the weeks leading up to the primary, checked in, voted, and was out within 5 minutes.
In contrast, my mother and step-father showed up at the beginning of the caucus, stated who they supported and listened to a few people speak about the candidates. Other caucus attendees tried to sway people to their side, focusing on the undecideds, then they voted for their delegates. The caucus lasted two hours, though they only stayed for about an hour. Their delegates were committed at that point and I’m not sure what would have happened after they left.
An interesting part of their experience to me was that they were there with their neighbors and publicly supporting the candidate of their choice. In contrast, when I voted in the Primary here in Illinois, the people I was with could have been from anywhere in Cook County and you could only tell what party’s primary someone was voting in if you listened carefully while they checked in with the judges.
It’s an interesting and diverse thing, this democracy we have.
